Applied Psychology

An understanding of psychology can be applied to every aspect of professional and personal life. The Department of Applied Psychology offers courses that provide a deep understanding of the self, other people, and how to apply that knowledge to a broad range of professional fields.

Senior Ryan Brown has made the most of her time at Bryant – and then some. A gifted tennis player named Northeast Conference Player of the Year in 2014-15, she currently captains the tennis team. “I’ve had a racket in my hands since age four,” says the Texas native. “Playing on the team helps me to maintain a balance between work and exercise.”

Chosen to receive the 2016-17 Honorary Undergraduate Scholar Award by the New England Psychological Association;

Served as a research assistant in the Biobehavioral Mechanisms Explaining Disparities Lab, Department of Psychology, Rice University, Houston, TX;

Analyzed and presented monetary policy recommendations as a member of a Federal Reserve Challenge team at the Federal Reserve Bank, Boston;

Spent more than four months on Australia’s Gold Coast, earning 18 credits while interning with Paradise Kids, an agency that provides grief and loss support to children;

Received an INBRE (IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence) Undergraduate Research Fellowship to conduct research in Bryant’s Microbial Glycomics Laboratory under the guidance of Associate Professor of Science and Technology Christopher Reid, Ph.D.

Collaborating with faculty, Brown has co-authored and presented papers at prestigious conferences and meetings; two of those papers are under review for publication. After graduation, she plans to pursue a Ph.D. in psychology and is currently applying to graduate programs.

“When I came to Bryant, I had no idea I would have the opportunity to compete in the NCAA tournament in Berkeley, CA, study abroad in Australia, work at Rice University, travel to France with my teammates, or meet the incredible professors who have shaped the trajectory of my future,” she says.

“I owe any success that I may have in the future to those professors and to my coach, Barbara Cilli, who encouraged me to pursue my passions outside of tennis. It is impossible to capture in words the freedom that my Bryant education continues to give me.”